I hadn’t kept bantams until, about six years ago, a friend gave me two Lavender Pekins. Quickly named Pam and Betty, after my beloved Bolton aunt and granny, they proved as feisty and formidable as ...

Baby chicks including Black Australorps, Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons huddle next to each other for warmth in their brooding pen. Kelly Rausch File photo With the rise in the price of eggs, ...